Erdin Schultz-Bever always loved playing pretend as a kid, but when she was in third grade, she saw one of her friends perform in a playwriting festival for elementary students and knew immediately she wanted to do THAT!Erdin is excited to join this special Fall tradition. At The Coterie, she has been seen in A WRINKLE IN TIME, MY STUFFIE AND ME, Project Daylight, the Dramatic HIV/STD Project, and BRAINSTORM. She has also worked with The Coterie as a teaching artist. Outside of The Coterie, recent credits include STEEL MAGNOLIAS with Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, MRS. CHRISTIE with Kansas City Actors Theatre, understudying for THE WIZARD OF OZ at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and GLASS MENAGERIE with Musical Theatre Heritage.  She has an MFA in Acting from University of Missouri-Kansas City and teaches Movement for the Stage at Johnson County Community College.

Spencer Thut is a bassist, drummer, and multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Kansas City, MO. A music lover from a young age, Spencer fell in love with playing in bands in middle school, and then got his introduction to the world of theater musicianship via a high school production of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM with our director, Matt Rapport! Ever since then Spencer has played in everything from musical pits, stages, airplane hangers, corporate parties, and piano bars. After seeing many wonderful productions at The Coterie throughout his youth, it’s been an honor for him to work on the other side of this particular fourth wall, with such a sincere and dedicated production team as ELECTRIC POE.

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R.H. Wilhoit stumbled into theatre to spend more time with his friends who seemed to find their passion in the rehearsal room. He found that it was the exact same for him and he never looked back! R.H. once again brings the works of Edgar Allan Poe to life after critically-acclaimed performances of ELECTRIC POE in 2020, 2021, 2022, and adapting and performing ELECTRIC POE 2023, 2024, and 2025. Coterie audiences will recognize R.H. from the casts of PUFFS and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, and many Kansas City students will recognize him as a Coterie teaching artist who facilitates the Young Playwrights Workshop and leads the Poe writing workshop Classroom Immersion touring to schools. Recently, R.H. performed in the one-person show EVERY BRILLIANT THING with Spinning Tree Theatre, NOCTURNE and MILKING CHRISTMAS with The Living Room Theatre, THE LEHMAN TRILOGY with Kansas City Actors Theatre, THE GLASS MENAGERIE with Music Theater Heritage, POOR CLAIRE with Unicorn Theatre, and THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG with New Theatre & Restaurant. R.H. received his BA in Theatre from Drury University.

Matt Rapport grew up going to rehearsals and performances because his father was an actor. The theatre felt like a home away from home to him. Matt is thrilled to return to The Coterie and to have the opportunity to direct ELECTRIC POE this year. Previously at The Coterie, Matt has acted on stage in AMBER WAVES, THE B.F.G., THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI, and BEN FRANKLIN'S APPRENTICE. He's also been a teaching artist for The Coterie's Comedy Masters class and many summer performance camps and workshops over many years as well as directing The Coterie's Young Playwrights Festival and Comedy Masters opening night parodies, including for the very first ELECTRIC POE production in 2009. For Matt, the parody was fun to direct and turned out pretty funny, but he is now thrilled to have the opportunity to direct the main attraction! Matt has been a performer, director, teacher, musician, and producer in the KC area for over 30 years. In that time, he has worked on many stages including The Coterie, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, KC Rep, Unicorn, KCAT, New Theatre, and many others. He has been a Teaching Artist for The Coterie, Accessible Arts, KC Rep, and KCYA, and is the Director of Education for the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.

Ezra Martinez-Haskins started acting when they were in middle school and has been in love with theatre ever since! Ezra returns to The Coterie after previously stage managing the world premiere of ELECTRIC RENAISSANCE at The Blue Room last season. Right after college, they worked at the Lawrence Arts Center for a few years where they stage managed musicals, plays, and dance recitals. They then moved to Kansas City where their first Kansas City stage manager gig was for LEGALLY BLONDE at Stage Right Theatre Company and they have been on the move ever since. Their stage management credits include: Young Playwrights Festival and Project Pride at The Coterie, EXIT 16 with Hypothesis a Theatre Lab, THE OTHERS for Cyclopedic Ensemble, MEL'N E [MELANIN & EDUCATED] for Terr. Studios, BARE THE ROCK OPERA at The Arts Asylum, CHRISTMAS AIN'T A DRAG and John Leguizamo’s LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS at The Black Box. Most recently they stage managed THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION with Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. Ezra is super excited to be back at The Coterie for this amazing production!

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Derek Trautwein is a Kansas City theatre artist with a wide berth of professional and educational experience. Derek has served as technical director on The Coterie's PETE THE CAT (2026), LILLY AND THE PIRATES, the world premiere of THE DRUM CLOSET, A WRINKLE IN TIME, CINDERELLA: A SALSA FAIRY TALE, JUST ASK!, FINDING NEMO T.Y.A., ELECTRIC POE (2024 & 2025), the world premiere of HORSE POWER: TOM BASS' AMERICAN STORY, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED: THE ROCK EXPERIENCE, and RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL (2023). He also made his Coterie directing debut with the world premiere production of the Theatre for Young Audiences version of ELF - THE MUSICAL last season. After graduating from Northwest Missouri State University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Performance, Derek received his Master of Arts Degree in Theatre History in 2012 from the University of Central Missouri (UCM). During his time at UCM, Derek began his journey as a carpenter and Technical Director to accompany his endeavors in acting, directing, and playwriting. From 2013 to 2023, Derek served as faculty amongst the Department of Theatre and Dance at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. Initially hired as the Technical Director, as he oversaw all sound, light, and scenic elements, Derek was promoted to Assistant Professor and Department Chair in 2021. Derek’s final directing spotlight at Benedictine, THE MOUSETRAP by Agatha Christie, received a Meritorious Achievement Award for Play Direction from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2023. Around Kansas City, Derek has worked with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Public Theatre, KC MeltingPot Theatre, Relevance Productions, Card Table Theatre, and Stuffed Buffalo Productions. Since 2012, Derek has been an active participant in the Kansas City Fringe Festival, producing over a dozen pieces of original works written by other artists as well as his own, including DECEIT, which earned Derek the inaugural Mark Edelman Best New Play Award in 2019. Derek’s original plays have also been featured multiple times each for Kansas City Public Theatre, Olathe Civic Theatre Association, and the Kansas City Horror Play Festival. Lately, Derek has been bouncing around multiple spaces in the Kansas City theatre community including performing on stage in THIS RANDOM WORLD: THE MYTH OF SERENDIPITY at Just Off Broadway Theatre and ELF - THE MUSICAL with Padgett Productions, as well as serving as technical director of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 at The Black Box and THE SHOOTER produced by Trish Mitchell at Just Off Broadway Theatre. Moving forward, Derek seeks to create on his own terms while aiding artists of all kind to find their voices and venues.

Bradley Meyer saw a production of WILLY WONKA in sixth grade and it sparked a life long interest in technical theatre and design. Bradley is a freelance theatre designer, educator, and professional educator who previously served as properties designer for LILLY AND THE PIRATES and the world premiere of THE DRUM CLOSET, and scenic designer for Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at The Coterie. He moved to Kansas City in 2021 to pursue a career in theatre after growing up in Iowa where he taught Family and Consumer Sciences as well as directed theatre and speech programs at the high school level. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Science from Iowa State University as well as a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and studied Scenic Design in the graduate program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Other recent scenic and properties design credits include MACHINAL for Johnson County Community College, LOVES LABOURS LOST for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, FAT HAM for Unicorn Theatre, and CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY for Theatre in the Park. See Bradley's full portfolio and contact information at www.bradleymeyerdesigns.com.Bradley Meyer saw a production of WILLY WONKA in sixth grade and it sparked a life long interest in technical theatre and design. Bradley is a freelance theatre designer, educator, and professional educator who previously served as properties designer for the world premiere production of THE DRUM CLOSET and scenic designer for Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at The Coterie. He moved to Kansas City in 2021 to pursue a career in theatre after growing up in Iowa where he taught Family and Consumer Sciences as well as directed theatre and speech programs at the high school level. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Science from Iowa State University as well as a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and studied Scenic Design in the graduate program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Other recent scenic and properties design credits include MACHINAL for Johnson County Community College, LOVES LABOURS LOST for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, FAT HAM for Unicorn Theatre, and CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY for Theatre in the Park. See Bradley's full portfolio and contact information at www.bradleymeyerdesigns.com.

Knox McClendon was signed up for a theatre camp by her parents as a kid and she fell in love with it! Knox is a costume designer and technician based in Kansas City. They graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Theatre Design and Minor in Art History. She has worked at multiple theaters across Kansas and Missouri in costume shop, designer, wardrobe, and teaching artist positions. Currently, they are the Costume Shop Supervisor at Washburn University in Topeka. Most recently she has designed Disney’s FROZEN at the Lawrence Arts Center, AIRNESS at Washburn University, and The Coterie and The White Theatre at The J's production of Disney’s FROZEN.

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Andrew Wright discovered his love of theatre through his father, a longtime actor in Kansas City, but his craft in lighting and production design was honed under Shane Rowse at the American Heartland Theatre during their 2012/2013 season as well as Micah Hensley at Lee Summit High School who also played a large role in shaping his creativity and technical know-how. Andrew has since put that knowledge to good use all over Kansas City as a lighting designer in theatre, dance, symphonic performance, and live events. ELECTRIC POE marks Andrew’s Coterie debut. Other credits include SYLVIA at The Arts Asylum; OLIVER! with Leawood Stage Company; and NEXT TO NORMAL, SYLVIA, and THE MUSIC MAN with Summit Theatre Group. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design at the University of Arkansas. His work approaches lighting as both a practical craft and a storytelling medium, using light, shadow, color, and composition to shape how audiences experience a performance. Andrew's day job is in architecture and furniture design and he was a founding board member of the Summit Theatre Group in Lee's Summit. To see more of Andrew's designs, visit awright2695.myportfolio.com/andrew-wright.

Dean Gautreaux was in his kindergarten's production of THREE LITTLE PIGGY OPERA and since then has loved being involved in theatre -- whether in front of the audience or behind the scenes. ELECTRIC POE is Dean's first production with The Coterie. Other credits include co-stage managing THE LAST FIVE YEARS, playing the roles of Larry in MR. MARMALADE and Kaliope Darkwalker/Kelly in SHE KILLS MONSTERS, and 
assistant stage managing WAR PAINT at Washburn University.

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DeOrian tenBroek has been performing since she was 14. Her mom's side of the family has done a lot of theatre so you could say it's in her blood. ELECTRIC POE is DeOrian's first Coterie production but she recently completed a summer working as an assistant teaching artist for summer classes. DeOrian is in her third year at University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she's pursuing her masters in stage management and will be graduating in May 2027. She received her BA in Theatre Arts at Benedictine College in December 2021. She stage managed with Theatre Atchison for three years, then started at University of Missouri-Kansas City in Fall 2024. Some of her latest credits include serving as stage manager for THE ARSONISTS and DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE, spot caller for PIPPIN, and assistant stage manager for INTO THE WOODS and VINEGAR TOM.

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Khalia Davis Philp was eleven years old when she was cast in her first role in an original play at a theatre summer camp. At the top of the show, when she said her first line, the audience actually laughed and she knew she was hooked! For Khalia, that is the magic and beauty of live theatre: that special exchange you share with the audience, knowing that your art is the reason they are transported for a short time to new worlds, learning, and experiencing new stories. Khalia co-leads The Coterie with the managing director to bring the organization’s innovative performances and programs to the Kansas City region. She previously directed The Coterie's production of FINDING NEMO TYA. Khalia is a multidisciplinary artist and arts leader who most recently served as the Assistant Director for the Broadway-bound world premiere, THE HIPPEST TRIP: THE SOUL TRAIN MUSICAL. As the former Artistic Director of Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT), she led the world premieres of A KIDS PLAY ABOUT RACISM, which brought together over 40 theater producing partners, including The Coterie, and was viewed on Broadway on Demand nearly 80,000 times during its limited run then became a free resource for educators and their students; and THE IMAGINARIES: AN IMMERSIVE MUSICAL, an original new work that transformed their theater into an accessible playground created by the newly-formed BACT Writer’s Room, which was created as a direct response to the lack of opportunities for BIPOC playwrights and composers specializing in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) projects. During the COVID pandemic when theaters were closed in the Bay Area, Khalia worked in partnership with former Executive Director of BACT, Nina Meehan, to conceive and produce various forms of theatrical digital and audio content for young audiences that activated their creativity and imaginative play, showcasing the potential for future digital and theatrical collaborations in TYA programming. Khalia directed and devised other new works like the award-nominated world premiere, SHE PERSISTED, THE MUSICAL, based on the popular children’s book by Chelsea Clinton; the Off-Broadway world premiere of an original adaptation of Maya Angelou’s I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS with New York City Children’s Theater; and the world premiere ARTHUR AND FRIENDS MAKE A MUSICAL! based on “Arthur,” the longest-running animated series on PBS with First Stage. Other prominent theaters include: A.C.T., Atlantic Theater Company’s Atlantic for Kids, New York City Children’s Theater, Disney Theatrical Group, Spellbound Theatre, and more. As a producer, Khalia has helped organizations reach hundreds of thousands of young people through interactive “edu-tainment” with the nationally known STORY PIRATES, generated new digital pre-school content with Spellbound at Home, and produced children’s media with her personal company, Kids at Heart Productions. Before assuming her role as Artistic Director of Bay Area Children’s Theater in 2020, Khalia served as the Director of Inclusion and Education with Brooklyn Children’s Theatre restructuring their children’s musical theatre programming through an anti-racism lens. Khalia is a proud board member for TYA/USA, Spellbound Theatre, and The Story Pirates. Awards include: 2019 Emerging Leader Fellowship-TYA/USA, 2019 NYCCT Leader Fellowship, 2021 Corey Medallion Award-Children’s Theatre Foundation of America, and the 2026 Jubilee Honoree Spotlight-National Impact in Theatre for Young Audiences. Khalia has a BA in Theater Arts from the University of Southern California. To find out more, visit www.khaliadavis.com.

Jonathan Thomas serves as Managing Director of The Coterie Theatre, having stepped into his role managing operations after the tragic loss of Executive Director Joette Pelster. He co-leads the organization with the Producing Artistic Director Khalia Davis Philp, working to bring The Coterie’s innovative performances and programs to the Kansas City region. Jonathan began his path as a professional opera and musical theatre performer out of college, working locally with many area performing arts organizations including the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Chorale, Simon Carrington Chamber Singers, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and New Theatre & Restaurant. After seven years building a successful insurance and financial advising agency, he moved to San Francisco to follow his passion in arts administration. Before returning to Kansas City in 2018, he served as the development manager for The Walden School for three years, where he oversaw organizational fundraising strategies and expanded alumni relations. At ArtsKC, he served as Senior Development Manager, which greatly expanded his knowledge of the Kansas City arts sector. Prior to joining The Coterie, Jonathan served as the Senior Manager for Individual Giving and Partnerships at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, combining his love for the performing arts with his passion for leadership and fund development. Jonathan received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Kansas. He continues his commitment to educating and advocating for the arts by serving on the Kansas City Chorale Board, the Johnson County Park and Recreation Artist Selection Committee, and by chairing the Theatre in the Park Advisory Council. He is a frequent guest speaker about the economic impact of the arts in Kansas City, appearing at the NAAAP Leadership Conference, Arts Day for Centurions, and at the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Jonathan is married to Gail Nakano and is a father to Sofia, a senior at Cornell University, Tristan, a senior in high school, and Cassia and Koda, two littles who haven’t decided on college plans to date.